Alex Oliveira Realized Potential At UFC Fight Night 106

With that submission win now in the past, the Brazilian welterweight feels that he has started showing his potential in the Octagon.

“Nothing changed,” Oliveira said after his fight. “My coaches told me to do the same thing: Believe in the potential, in the wrestling, to believe I have the strength, take him down, get to his back and do my job. And if he opened up his back, I was supposed to throw the elbows at him. It showed them that I had the potential to beat him. So my soul is cleansed and I’m ready for the next one – when the UFC wants me to scrap, I’ll do it. He was a rock standing in my way and I got through it. It’s special, because a lot of people don’t believe in my potential. So I showed I have a lot of potential.”

Oliveira and Means fought to a no contest after an illegal knee strike from Means to Oliveira at UFC 207, which led to bad blood between the two sides. The fighters did bump into each other a few times during fight week and it provided some uncomfortable moments.

“We’d run into each other at the hotel – there’d be those dirty looks,” Oliveira said. “I’m easy-going, (but) if I took that to heart, we’d end up brawling all the time at the hotel. But my coaches told me to keep quiet, and when they say it I have to put my head down and respect it. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a fight, there’d be a scrap at the hotel before the fight here at the UFC.”

Six of Oliveira’s seventeen wins as a pro have come under the UFC banner.